County of building: Saint Charles County
Location of structure: S 6th St. & Jefferson St., SW corner, St. Charles
Built: 1867
Architect: Johann Heinrich Stumber
Builder: Griese and Weile (Cincinnati)
Architectural Style: Gothic Revival
Original Occupant: Immanuel Lutheran Church
Map
This church stands out here, in this area, because the other churches in this residential area are one story. This church has thrived, and grew. Adding a new school and a new hall facility
The tower, well there was a 158 foot one built with the church in 1867, but lightening blew it away. Then the current steeple, 176 feet tall, was built in 1892. The clock is also from that time period, and still works just fine thank you.
The bell tower, a such, is actually the square portion as base to the steeple, and contains 3 bells.
The church takes up all the block between 6th and 7th along Jefferson, but has a 6th Street address. The school faces 7th and takes the entire east side of the block, but it also has a 6th Street address.
" • The original steeple was 158 feet high.
On June 26, 1892, a lightning strike damaged the original steeple of Immanuel’s Sanctuary. The current steeple was built at a cost of $1,100 over the charred remains of the damaged steeple rising to a height of 176 feet.
• There were small square boxes filled with sawdust under the pews on the “men’s side” (north side). They were used for spit from chewing tobacco!. These were removed in 1901.
• The current gold leaf plated cross and base is over 9 feet in height and was placed on top of Immanuel’s steeple in 1912.
• There are 3 bells in Immanuel’s steeple. They were made by H.W. Rincker foundry in Chicago, Illinois. They were installed in May 1868. The largest bell has “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (“Ein Feste Burg ist unser Gott”) inscribed on it." ~ Church History
"99. 115 South Sixth Street, Immanuel Lutheran Church; Gothic Revival; Johann Heinrich Stumberg,
architect; Griese and Weile (Cincinnati), builders/contractors; 1867; Contributing Prominently situated at the southwest corner of Sixth and Jefferson Streets, this red brick, Gothic Revival
church has a symmetrical 3-bay façade that has tiered buttresses that flank at an angle the projecting central entry bay and tier up to visually support the steeple. The rusticated limestone foundation is
capped by a sloped dressed limestone water table. The water table and other limestone details on the building have been painted, including the capstones on the tiered ledges on the buttresses, stone defining
the entry arch, the pilaster capitals on the main entry, the window sills, and the pyramidal finial details on
each corner of the facade. The main entry has a Gothic-arched opening flanked by pilaster-like strips that
support the brick and limestone hood mold. The oversized doorway has paired 6- panel wood doors with
a stained glass transom above. Simple limestone waterfall steps with iron railings descend from the door.
Above the entry is a large Gothic-arched tracery stained glass window and above this window, piercing
through the end gabled roof, is the belfry in the square base of the steeple, which has an additional tier of
angled buttresses at each corner above the roofline. Extending out to the buttresses are continuous
limestone sills on the tracery window as well as the belfry openings, which are Gothic-arched openings
with paired Gothic-arched vents. Above the belfry openings is a soldier course of brick framed with
projecting brick to separate this level from the round clock face, and at the top of the square tower is a
crenellated cornice. The 8-sided steeple flares out at the square base and has gabled attic dormers with
trefoil-arched louvered vent openings. A cross is on top of the steeple. Each side of the bell tower and
steeple are treated the same. The facets of the steeple are highlighted with painted divisions between the
asphalt roof sections. Flanking the entry bay are secondary doorways, also with Gothic-arched openings and stained glass transoms above paired 5-panel wood doors. These too have limestone waterfall stairs.
Above each of these flanking entries is a Gothic-arched tracery stained glass window. At each corner of
the façade are tiered buttresses to the east and to the side that extend up to a square brick finial-like detail
that has stone courses separating the 3 tiers and a pyramidal stone cap. The roofline on the façade is
highlighted by a brick dentil-like course with square recessed decorative panels. On the north street
elevation is a brick crenellated cornice and 7 brick buttresses divide the wall into 6 bays, each with
stained glass lancet windows. In 1978 a 1-story brick addition was constructed on the south side of the
church to house the Lutheran Center. It has a flat parapeted roof with a denticulated brick cornice under
the concrete coping. This portion of the façade is divided into 8 bays, with each of the northern 5 bays
containing a lancet window with a painted concrete sill. The sixth bay, which is defined by brick pilasters
that project through the parapet, has a large Gothic-arched doorway with a tracery transom over the
paired entry doors. The bay to the south has no opening and the southernmost bay has a slightly
projecting square tower that extends 1½-stories, with a nearly full-height lancet window on the façade." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"Built: 1867
Style/Design: Gothic Revival
The Immanuel Lutheran Church is a great example of the Gothic Revival style. The church was organized in 1847 and their new
sanctuary was constructed in 1867 around and over the original stone church that had been built in 1849 (according to
Drummond's Historic Sites in St. Charles County). Then after the exterior was completed the stone church was disassembled
inside. The church is shown prominently on the 1869 Bird’s Eye View of St. Charles, making this one of the oldest institutional
buildings in St. Charles. According to Drummond, the original spire was damaged in the early 1900s and a new spire built around
the remains. The church was identified on the 1886 fire insurance map as simply “Lutheran
Church” but from 1893 through 1909 it was identified as the German Lutheran Church on the Sanborn map and by 1917 it was
identified on the map as the Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church and today it is known as the Immanuel Lutheran Church.
According to the church historian, Dr. Sanford, the name was originally Der Evantelisch Lurherich Gemeinde in Und Um St.
Charles, Missouri, but the name was changed in 1919 when the name was switched to English due to the unpopularity of German
during World War I. It was switched to Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church at that time, at which time they also switched to
using English in the services and recorded minutes. By 1906 the city directories already had it identified as the Immanuel
Evangelical Lutheran Church. Although there is a 1982 addition on the south side of the church, the church building has been a
major landmark since 1867 and the addition is distinct but compatible in its design and does not overpower the original church
design. As such, the church is contributing to the potential historic district. Although there is a covered walkway connecting the
church with the school complex, the two are distinctly different in stylistic features and functions, and they are identified as
separate buildings in this survey with the school inventoried as 120 S. Seventh.
"The growth of the congregation is reflected in the growth of its campus. The first parsonage was between the church and
Jefferson Street but was torn down around 1870 and a second parsonage was built in 1900, south of the church, but it was torn
down in 1981 for the Lutheran Center's construction and there is no longer a parsonage for this church. The church was
addressed by 1906 as 103-107 S. Sixth in city directories. There was the school building on the west half of the block, facing
Jefferson that was shown on the Sanborn maps through 1900, and identified as a public school, but by 1909, that building was
identified as the German Lutheran School. According to Dr. Sanford it was never a public school building. By 1893, in addition to
the new parsonage south of the church, most of the block was filled with private residences, including one that was positioned on
the north side of the church and another between the church and school. By 1900, the house at the corner north of the church had
been demolished and by 1909 a small (temporary) chapel had been built south of the school. On the 1917 Sanborn map, a large
two-story classroom “hall” had been built west of the church, replacing an old dwelling; by that time, the church apparently owned
the entire north end of the block along Jefferson between 6th and 7th. By 1952-56, the school was in desperate need of updating
and a new classroom was built along Seventh Street, replacing the old hall and school buildings. In 1968, the gymnasium
addition was added to the north end of the school. In 1978, the Lutheran Center, an addition on the south side of the church was
finished and in 1998 the Fellowship Hall was finished in the block south of the church, at the corner of Sixth and First Capitol Drive
(addressed as 203 S. Sixth). The campus now includes the entire city block between Jefferson and Madison
between Sixth and Seventh, as well as the east half of the block to the south, between Madison and First Capitol Drive. The entire
church and school complex are currently addressed as 115 S. Sixth, but the school actually parallels Seventh, with the principal
entry facing Madison and as such it is included in this inventory under the historic address of 120 S. Seventh.
The church also owns property across Seventh at the northwest corner with Madison, calling it Heritage Hall, which houses its
daycare and pre-school; this was acquired in the early 1980s (but is outside the survey area). The church was organized in 1847
with 13 German families and it grew quickly; by 1900 there were 1500 to 1700 members; by 1950 there were 2000 members and
in 2000 there were 4000 members. It has continuously been an important part of this ethnic group's experience in St. Charles and
an integral part in the neighborhood's settlement and development.
This red brick, Gothic Revival church was built in 1867 and it has a symmetrical three bay facade facing Sixth Street that has
tiered buttresses that flank at an angle the projecting central entry bay and tier up to visually support the steeple. The base of the
church is surrounded by the rusticated limestone foundation with the sloped dressed limestone course separating the raised
foundation from the red brick walls of the church. The dressed limestone course of the foundation as well as the other limestone
details on the building have been painted, including the capstones on the tiered ledges on the buttresses, stone defining the entry
arch, the pilaster capitals on the main entry, the window sills, and the pyramidal finial details on each corner of the facade. The
main entry has a Gothic arch opening with pilaster-like strips flanking the doorway that have flattened capital-like details at the
base of the brick arched opening which in turn is capped by a limestone ledge to highlight the Gothic arch. The oversized
doorway has paired six panel wood doors with a stained glass transom above. Simple limestone waterfall steps with iron railings
descend from the door. Above the entry is a large Gothic arched tracery stained glass window and above this window, piercing
through the end gabled roof, is the belfry in the square base of the steeple, which has an additional tier of the angled buttresses at
each corner above the roofline. Spanning out to the buttresses, there are continuous limestone sills on the tracery window as well
as the belfry openings, which are Gothic arched openings with paired Gothic arched vents. Above the belfry openings is a soldier
course of brick framed with projecting brick to separate this level from the round clock face and at the top of the square tower is a
crenellated cornice. The 8-sided steeple flares out at the square base and has gabled attic dormers with trefoil arched, louvered
vent openings. There is a cross at the top of the steeple. Each side of the bell tower and steeple are treated the same. The facets
of the steeple are highlighted with painted divisions between the asphalt roof sections.
"Flanking the entry bay, there are secondary doorways, also with Gothic arched openings and stained glass transoms above
paired five panel wood doors. These too have limestone waterfall stairs. Above each of these flanking entries, a half-flight up,
there is a Gothic arched tracery stained glass window. At each corner of the facade there are tiered buttresses to the east and to
the side that extend up to a square brick finial-like detail that has stone courses separating the three tiers and a pyramidal stone
cap. The roofline on the facade is highlighted by a brick dentil-like course with the recesses either painted brick or painted stone.
"On the north street elevation, there is a brick crenellated cornice, and the wall is divided by seven brick buttresses into six bays of
stained glass lancet windows. On the rear of the sanctuary, there are similar corner buttresses with the finial-like treatments and
a large 1.5 story high apse that has clipped corners and roof. Above, there are two small, Gothic arched, louvered vents. On the
north side of the apse is a one story, hipped roof, rear entry which has two lancet windows with two louvered basement windows
facing west and a Gothic arched, four-panel wood door with a set of concrete steps with pipe rails facing north." ~ St. Charles Historic Survey Phase I, PDF pages 751-757